1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to capital investment; establishing a historic building facade grant program 
1.3 	for facade preservation in certain historic commercial districts; appropriating 
1.4 	money.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY; HISTORIC BUILDING 
1.7 	FACADE GRANT PROGRAM.
 1.8 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. The Minnesota Historical Society shall establish a 
1.9 	statewide historic building facade grant program to provide grants to municipalities that 
1.10 	meet the eligibility criteria provided under subdivision 3. The initial pilot program shall 
1.11 	provide one or more grants to the city of Litchfield.
1.12 		Subd. 2.Definition. For the purposes of this section, "municipality" means a home rule 
1.13 	charter or statutory city or a town.
1.14 		Subd. 3.Eligibility. Eligible municipalities must have:
1.15 	(1) for cities, a population of less than 15,000; or
1.16 	(2) for towns, a population of less than 10,000; and
1.17 	(3) a commercial historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1.18 		Subd. 4.Grant agreements. (a) A municipality awarded a grant under this section must 
1.19 	enter into grant agreements with owners of properties in the municipality that:
1.20 	(1) are located within the boundaries of the commercial historic district; and
1.21 	(2) have facades that are historic in nature.
2.1 	(b) A property owner grantee under paragraph (a) must use the money to rehabilitate 
2.2 	the building facade of a property that meets the criteria in paragraph (a). The rehabilitation 
2.3 	must be consistent with the standards for rehabilitation under Code of Federal Regulations, 
2.4 	title 36, section 67.7, and guidance from the Minnesota Historical Society. The rehabilitation 
2.5 	must be completed within two years from the date the property owner grantee received the 
2.6 	grant. Any unused money must be returned to the Minnesota Historical Society for deposit 
2.7 	in the general fund.
2.8 	(c) The Minnesota Historical Society shall prescribe the form of the grant agreement in 
2.9 	paragraph (a).

2.10 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

2.11 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; HISTORIC BUILDING FACADE GRANT PILOT 
2.12 	PROGRAM.
 2.13 	$3,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 is appropriated from the general fund to the Minnesota 
2.14 	Historical Society for grants under the historic building facade grant pilot program under 
2.15 	section 1. This is a onetime appropriation and is available until the project is completed or 
2.16 	abandoned subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 16A.642.

2.17 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.